Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

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Valiant
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Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

Went for a slow ride up Mount Tantalus nearby. Slowed to 5-10 mph for a left turn uphill, but stuck too close to the outside of the curve. It was exactly how I was taught to corner during MSF BRC, but the road was crowned, so it had the opposite effect, my rear wheel slid out, and my PCX dropped on my left leg, breaking both bones.

I'll walk again, but aside from the obvious solutions(stay away from mountains, pay more attention to the road itself and not just traffic), I wanted to know if proper gear could prevent this, as the bike dropping on your leg seems like it would be one of the more likely end result of a slide out.

I was wearing regular long pants, a t-shirt, a full face helmet, short leather gloves, and TCX Airtech boots. My Kevlar jacket and pants are still on order, but I'm not sure the impact armor would protect me from a side impact since the pad seems to only protect the front.

The TCX boot had a shin plate, but a similar problem of only protecting the front. Are there boots that are taller and provide 360 degree protection? I was looking at SIDI crossfire 2 SRS, but wasn't sure if that fit the bill.

No pics of the scene, but I'll show the damage to the PCX when I'm out of the hospital.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by gn2 »

Nope the best gear in the world won't protect you from fractured limbs.
Best thing for that sits between your ears. ;)
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Mgalutia88 »

Stay away from the edges of the road, Michelin City Grips in the stock size instead of IRC tires (multiple people on the cbr250r forum have had issues with irc tires as well), keep your speed up and your legs up. We can only do so much on two wheels but every little thing helps.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

Wasn't fractured, the bones were broken. Didn't really deform the skin, but the doc told me the bone was cracked all around and was moving, jagged edges and all(I'll ask for an x-Ray).

I frankly don't buy your position that proper gear couldn't have at least reduced it to a fracture where they didn't have to stick a giant nail down the bone to align the pieces.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

Mgalutia88 wrote:Stay away from the edges of the road, Michelin City Grips in the stock size instead of IRC tires (multiple people on the cbr250r forum have had issues with irc tires as well), keep your speed up and your legs up. We can only do so much on two wheels but every little thing helps.
Wasn't really "the edge" edge. I'd say I was 3 feet from the edge before the road dipped down suddenly at about a 40 degree angle. There's also good reason to stay a bit away from the center lane as it was a sharp turn at more than 90 degrees and a car going a bit wide could collide with you.

I'll definitely look into the city grips, as I need something more premium for rainy riding.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by gn2 »

Valiant wrote:Wasn't fractured, the bones were broken. Didn't really deform the skin, but the doc told me the bone was cracked all around and was moving, jagged edges and all(I'll ask for an x-Ray).

I frankly don't buy your position that proper gear couldn't have at least reduced it to a fracture where they didn't have to stick a giant nail down the bone to align the pieces.
fractured = broken

Ask any top level bike racer about what happens when you exceed the limits of grip, they're the experts on crashing and have all broken something at one time or another.
They tend to have the best kit available too.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Mel46 »

I had the original tires on my pcx and was taking a curve much like you. The rear tire started slipping when it shouldn't and I corrected as best I could but the bike ended up jumping the curb and balancing right there on the curb, with neither tire touching the ground. No damage to the bike other than a scratched panel on the lower portion. My wife's bike had taken that same curve in the same way just a minute ahead of me with no problem. The difference?? She had City Grip tires. After we arrived at our home I immediately ordered a City Grip for my rear tire. Ever since I put it on? the rear end sticks to the road like glue.
As for gear, many many years ago I raced motorcycles. I had leathers and pads, and tall boots. However, there was always some part of me the was not covered by pads or boots. I wouldn't have been able to move properly if I had been completely covered by pads. Leathers do help, though they are hot. You live in Hawaii so I can't imagine how hot you would be in leathers with pads plus tall boots. So I would suggest changing tires first. That will make a great deal of difference.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by buddy1976 »

Mgalutia88 wrote:Stay away from the edges of the road, Michelin City Grips in the stock size instead of IRC tires (multiple people on the cbr250r forum have had issues with irc tires as well), keep your speed up and your legs up. We can only do so much on two wheels but every little thing helps.
Yep can do nothing but agree, city grip are the way forward, 10 x better than the IRC. since installing my city grip ive scraped the stand and plastics no end and still feels stuck solid to the road. compared with the city grip IRC's make the pcx feel wobbly/unstable round corners.

The City Grips are a MUST!
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

gn2 wrote:
Valiant wrote:Wasn't fractured, the bones were broken. Didn't really deform the skin, but the doc told me the bone was cracked all around and was moving, jagged edges and all(I'll ask for an x-Ray).

I frankly don't buy your position that proper gear couldn't have at least reduced it to a fracture where they didn't have to stick a giant nail down the bone to align the pieces.
fractured = broken

Ask any top level bike racer about what happens when you exceed the limits of grip, they're the experts on crashing and have all broken something at one time or another.
They tend to have the best kit available too.
Sorry, was thinking about a cracked bone.

But in that case, why even wear a helmet? Still think good, proper fitting gear should at least reduce severity, maybe save me a skin graft on top of the metal in my bone.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by gn2 »

Helmet is proven to prevent/reduce brain injury.
There's nothing on the market which will completely remove the possibility of all limb fractures.
Crashing is part of the learning process, ask yourself how you could have prevented your crash.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

Mel46 wrote:I had the original tires on my pcx and was taking a curve much like you. The rear tire started slipping when it shouldn't and I corrected as best I could but the bike ended up jumping the curb and balancing right there on the curb, with neither tire touching the ground. No damage to the bike other than a scratched panel on the lower portion. My wife's bike had taken that same curve in the same way just a minute ahead of me with no problem. The difference?? She had City Grip tires. After we arrived at our home I immediately ordered a City Grip for my rear tire. Ever since I put it on? the rear end sticks to the road like glue.
As for gear, many many years ago I raced motorcycles. I had leathers and pads, and tall boots. However, there was always some part of me the was not covered by pads or boots. I wouldn't have been able to move properly if I had been completely covered by pads. Leathers do help, though they are hot. You live in Hawaii so I can't imagine how hot you would be in leathers with pads plus tall boots. So I would suggest changing tires first. That will make a great deal of difference.
As mentioned, I ordered Kevlar Mesh jacket and pants, so I should be good for both sun and rain. I was just wondering if I saw correctly that some boots(like the $600 SIDI I was looking at) had hard plastic plates on the sides to cushion impacts and allow sliding on the pavement.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

gn2 wrote:Helmet is proven to prevent/reduce brain injury.
There's nothing on the market which will completely remove the possibility of all limb fractures.
Crashing is part of the learning process, ask yourself how you could have prevented your crash.
Wasn't looking for Iron Man armor, just wanted to improve my odds.

Given my lack of experience, and the data shows that most new riders have the highest risk of crashing in their first 6 months, I figure it will happen despite my best efforts. Maybe not in the same way next time, but I suspect I'll get into another one within a year.

I'm just looking to improve my odds of survival and reduce the severity of my injuries.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by WhiteNoise »

:( ugh! That's not good. Really Sorry to read this Valiant.
Been there, done similar. Totally Sucks! But, unfortunately part of the riding experience.

While healing, it would be a good time to do some reading. The very best book money can buy for any rider to read is:
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorc ... 1620081199

Some stuff I want to kick in: Match your experience to your speed. Choose your paths wisely. Go straight. Twisties can come later. There's no rush, life's too short. Stay within your comfort zone. Never feel you have to prove anything to anybody. Your bike your body your life! Enjoy your ride, Your Way!
I'm happy to read your interest in protective riding gear. Can't hurt to do the best you can with what's available to us. My opinion. On that note, and in answer to your Gear question, I recommend the following (from my experience with this gear) ;)

1) http://www.bohnarmor.com/catalog/bohn-b ... system.php
(A properly fitted armored jacket will do too)
2) https://shop.helimot.com/shopping/shopd ... ycle+Boots
3) http://www.revzilla.com/revit-pants?gcl ... 7AodWxEAHg
4) http://www.revzilla.com/revit-gloves
5) Choose a full face helmet that Fits. One that meets or exceeds snell and dot specs
6) Wear ear plugs. You'll want to hear when you're older
7) Stay hydrated!

That's all I can muster up at this moment. More Important that You get yourself well enough to wear Any of this! Do as told so you can heal. Control your anxiety (Yikes! That's Hard....right?) Dream of riding till you do so again :)
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

WhiteNoise wrote::( ugh! That's not good. Really Sorry to read this Valiant.
Been there, done similar. Totally Sucks! But, unfortunately part of the riding experience.
Agreed, I was just disappointed that I didn't manage to ride two weeks before I broke a bone.
While healing, it would be a good time to do some reading. The very best book money can buy for any rider to read is:
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorc ... 1620081199
Got that. It even covers the crowned roads. Unfortunately, I believe this kind of activity is better learned with your body than by reading a book. I read quite a bit on counter steering, but it didn't exactly "click" until I actually rode for a while during the MSF course.
Some stuff I want to kick in: Match your experience to your speed. Choose your paths wisely. Go straight. Twisties can come later. There's no rush, life's too short. Stay within your comfort zone. Never feel you have to prove anything to anybody. Your bike your body your life! Enjoy your ride, Your Way!
I'm happy to read your interest in protective riding gear. Can't hurt to do the best you can with what's available to us. My opinion. On that note, and in answer to your Gear question, I recommend the following (from my experience with this gear) ;)
Speed was about 15-20 mph on the straights, down to 5-10 mph on the twists. The curves weren't bad, I just wasn't aware of the domed surface of the road until my rear tire slid out.
1) http://www.bohnarmor.com/catalog/bohn-b ... system.php
(A properly fitted armored jacket will do too)
2) https://shop.helimot.com/shopping/shopd ... ycle+Boots
3) http://www.revzilla.com/revit-pants?gcl ... 7AodWxEAHg
4) http://www.revzilla.com/revit-gloves
5) Choose a full face helmet that Fits. One that meets or exceeds snell and dot specs
6) Wear ear plugs. You'll want to hear when you're older
7) Stay hydrated!
Jacket and pants are on order and being custom made, same with gloves. I was mostly curious about the boots and wanted to ask if there's anything that offers all around protection to the sides and back and not just the front shin plate. Water was in a hydro flask in my saddlebags. Helmet didn't have a scratch.
That's all I can muster up at this moment. More Important that You get yourself well enough to wear Any of this! Do as told so you can heal. Control your anxiety (Yikes! That's Hard....right?) Dream of riding till you do so again :)
Eh, I see it as an opportunity to finally get some time off from work ;)
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Steph »

Holy crap! Another person dumps it. Very sorry! Maybe I should go buy some stove pipes to wear on my legs! This is getting scary.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

I was actually curious about the incident itself, as I don't believe my leg is positioned to be crushed if I kept both feet on the "floorboards" on the sides. I thought I might have stuck out my foot to try and catch it, but I think it could also have been that my pant leg got dragged out from the footrest and under the fender or something.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by iceman »

Sorry to hear about the accident. I believe you were very unlucky to suffer any real injury travelling so slowly and the bike falling on you the way it did. People come off at higher speed in busy traffic and don't always suffer the way you did.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Valiant »

Okay, damage assessment:
Forgot to take pictures of my PCX, but the glovebox is kind of squished open and the panel around the glovebox is cracked about an inch and is out of place. The left mirror is scuffed along the back, but I didn't see much noticeable damage as far as the rear area.

My dealer says they only replace parts and don't repair them, and they don't have any parts for the 2015 PCX listed as of yet. I'd either have to leave the damage as is, or try to find a good motorcycle shop(typically well out of town) that can do the repairs(because I literally have no mechanical experience).

Curiously, the TCX boots only have very minor scuffs to it, like it was only dragged on the dirt for a little bit, and not at all like it was sandwiched between the gravel and the scoot. I don't recall seeing damage on the pants other than a small scrap below the front of the knee, so I still literally have no clue if my scoot landed on my leg, or I twisted the leg at some point. In any case, the shin plate on the boot is very much intact, so it doesn't seem likely that upgrading the boot(which are both very much usable, with the left one looking like I did some dirt riding for a minute on it) would do anything to help me.
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by WhiteNoise »

Might this help?

Parts for 2015 (@ pocket friendly prices) :)
http://www.cheapcycleparts.com/oemparts ... 0-ac-parts
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Re: Broke my left leg, gear ideas?

Post by Mgalutia88 »

New parts for are scoots are ungodly cheap. You could buy all the plastics on the bike prepainted for the cost of a gallon of the three stage paint. It's not cheap paint at all. In another example, I replaced and had both tires mounted for less than the cost of a gallon of the three stage red. Last front upper side panel I bought was $28 usd and the lower painted fairing was $15 usd.
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